Mental health services are among the strategies that can be successfully used to alleviate stress in healthcare. The PICO question for the research is as follows:Among front line nursing staff (P), does the use of a mental health group (I), compared to no specific mental health group (C), impact the outcome of stress among nurses (O)?
Population
The population of interest in mental health service intervention is the nurses, especially those working in areas with a clinical setup such as hospitals. Nurses are normally expected to be highly skilled healthcare professionals who are mandated to provide direct care to patients, administer medications, and monitor the treatment process of patients. Nurses are usually expected to be equipped with a range of personal qualities that go hand in hand with their services including empathy and compassion. Nurses can have different education qualifications, ranging from a diploma to a doctorate. The level of education in the nursing school enables them to work in various areas according to their specialization. However, despite their diversity in terms of gender, area of workplace, or level of education, they share common challenges within their profession, such as workplace stress. Interventions such as mental health services are meant to directly impact this population by mitigating the effect of stress related to the nursing work environment. The ultimate purpose of interventions such as mental health services is to improve the coping mechanism of nurses and, hence, improve the quality of services they provide.
Intervention
The intervention of interest in addressing stress among nurses is mental health services. The suitability of this intervention is based on various reasons. Firstly, mental health groups allow nurses to express their feelings and share experiences, thus allowing their colleagues with similar experiences to support them. As a result of this arrangement, the feelings of isolation can be alleviated, thus providing the affected party with coping mechanisms to deal with workplace-related stress. Malchiodi (2020) outlines that the expression of words is a form of verbal therapy that can help alleviate stress from the mind. Thus, with the platforms where nurses express their feelings, positive change is expected in their psychological well-being. Additionally, research by Connors et al. (2020) has shown that peer-supported mental health services are associated with greater resilience and improved psychosocial outcomes among healthcare professionals. Improved psychological well-being and resilience among the nurses increase the quality of their services, thus improving their work quality. Therefore, evaluating the effectiveness of mental services can help one uncover the faults associated with the program and hence help improve them, thus improving the quality of patient care.
Comparison
While mental health services, including the use of mental groups, can offer significant benefits for addressing stress among nurses, it is important to weigh the situation when the intervention is available in the workplace. Comparing the differences if the intervention is not in place can ring out the need for the intervention. In a setting where the intervention is not in place, the nurse may find themselves in a situation where they lack structured support systems to manage their stress effectively. In the absence of avenues where they can express their emotions and experiences, the nurses may resort to coping mechanisms that are less constructive or even harmful, such as avoidance or self-medication. The lack of support may result in feelings of isolation, which can exacerbate stress among nurses, thus impacting their job satisfaction and, ultimately, the quality of care they provide. Additionally, the lack of formal health services may lead to the undetection of mental health issues among nurses, thus impacting the quality of patient care. Therefore, workplaces that lack mental health groups may find it difficult to maintain a healthy nurse workforce conducive to optimal health service outcomes.
Outcome
Evaluation of the effectiveness of mental services in resolving stress among nurses is expected to impact the nursing practice and patient care significantly. By evaluating the efficacy of such interventions, administrative bodies of nurses can gain insights on the areas of improvement, thus enabling them to better future interventions. As a result, nurses’ stress levels will be reduced, which can lead to increased job satisfaction and improved psychological well-being of nurses. Consequently, nurses will provide their patients with higher-quality care, thus ensuring better health delivery and outcomes.
References
Connors, C. A., Dukhanin, V., March, A. L., Parks, J. A., Norvell, M., & Wu, A. W. (2020). Peer support for nurses as second victims: Resilience, burnout, and job satisfaction. Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management, 25(1), 22-28.
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